Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow rose to the occasion on Sunday Night Football in Week 11. He posted 245 passing yards and three touchdowns in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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He carried the Bengals back from a 27-6 deficit to tie the game and drove them into a potential game-winning field goal position twice after he evened the score. And still, they couldn’t win. This has been the Bengals’ story all season.
NFL Network’s Rich Eisen is befuddled at Cincinnati’s record. On the Monday edition of his namesake show, he expressed utter confusion at how a quarterback could execute at Burrow’s level without having it reflected in his record.
“You can’t make this sort of stuff up… [Joe Burrow] has been absolutely, completely on fire. And the problem is, they keep losing… He did what he had to do… 350 or more passing yards, three or more touchdowns, and zero interceptions in back-to-back games. Both losses. Only other time in [NFL] history that’s happened?… Matt Ryan, Weeks 3 and 4 of the 2018 season.”
He specifically noted the Bengals’ past two defeats when discussing Burrow’s high-caliber play.
On Sunday, Cincinnati kicker Evan McPherson missed both of his fourth-quarter field goal attempts, and the Chargers found paydirt with less than 30 seconds remaining to escape with a 34-27 victory.
Los Angeles (7-3) now holds the AFC’s No. 5 seed. The Bengals (4-7) have roughly a 10% chance of making the playoffs.
Cincinnati could be a dangerous wild-card team if Burrow can somehow carry them into the playoffs. If the Bengals had avoided some disappointing early defeats, he may even be in the MVP conversation.
Joe Burrow’s 2024 record is an anomaly
Cincinnati was the most popular preseason pick to go worst-to-first in their division in 2024. A lot of their hype was due to Burrow’s anticipated return.
The Bengals managed to go 9-8 with him making only 10 starts last season. Facing a fourth-place schedule this year, they appeared primed to make a postseason run.
Things obviously have not worked out as imagined. However, Burrow should not shoulder much, if any, of the blame. His 11-game production mirrors some of the greatest starts in NFL history. But Cincinnati’s win-loss tally doesn’t reflect it.
CORRECTION: Through the first 11 games, on the 4-7 Bengals, Joe Burrow has 3,028 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.
Players to achieve 3,000+ passing yards, 27+ touchdowns, and 4 or fewer interceptions through the first 11 games, along with their team’s final…
— Jacob Kaye (@JacobKaye_) November 18, 2024
The Bengals are 1-6 in one-score games this year. Their defense is allowing 26.9 points per game, fifth-most in the league. Despite routinely coughing up points, Cincinnati has a positive point differential (+1) because Burrow’s offense is posting 27.0 points per contest. That amount is the NFL’s sixth-best total.
Burrow leads all quarterbacks in completions (274), passing yards (3,028), passing touchdowns (27) and first downs (155). He is third in passer rating (106.9), first in ESPN’s QBR (76.1), and fourth in touchdown percentage (6.6%).
His numbers warrant him being among the league’s top MVP contenders. Instead, he’s ninth in FanDuel Sportsbook’s odds for the award. All because the Bengals have just four victories.
Cincinnati could still scratch out a postseason bid, but they’re running out of time. They may have to reel off six consecutive wins to end the 2024 campaign in order to do so.
A Week 12 bye gives them a chance to regroup before gearing up for the stretch run. But a home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2) in Week 13 could be the final nail in their coffin.
